1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device that sits on a flat surface such as a table, desk, or counter top to hold reading material, such as newspapers, books, magazines, copy to be typed, sheet music, recipe cards and the like in an upright position, with the top of the reading material slanting away from the user. When not in use the device folds down to the compact size of the base piece, which makes it small and easy to carry and store.
2. Description of Prior Art
Numerous patents have been granted for holding devices in the reading material field. U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,934 discloses a hand-held newspaper holder which has the stated primary purposes of preventing the transfer of newsprint and to release individual pages for facility of reading the newspaper. U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,639 reveals a holder for loose leaf sheets of material and thru the use of magnets secures the sheets in a temporary manner in the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,138 teaches a unit that sits on a frame on the floor and is comprised of a series of slats that are forced together by springs. The material being examined is inserted and held between the slats. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,478 is a book support that has a pair of platens set in a V-shape that move toward and away from one another to accomodate books of different sizes and/or opened at different positions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,333 teaches a sheet holder for releasably restraining a stack of sheets of varying thickness so that operations such as writing can be performed on the top sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,231 discloses a portable bookstand with a retractable panel to hold a book in a slanted upright position. This portable bookstand cannot be folded in any way to make it smaller or more compact than the full size.
None of the above patents provide a device that can hold reading material in an upright position when in use and be folded down compactly for easy carrying and storage when not in use. The present invention is small enough when in the folded-down position to easily fit into a lady's purse or the glove compartment of a car, and takes up very little space on a table, desk, counter top or the like.